Crazy busy week

So this week instead of sickness we are dealing with busyness.  Shon is working 12 hour days with a go-live this week, so I am on my own to get all the kids to their respective locations.  Here has been our schedule so far:

Monday--thankfully nothing!
Tuesday--ballet at 4:30, football at 5:45, Girl Scouts at 6:30, which meant take Emmaa, run home and get supper going, take Caleb all the way across town in 5:00 traffic, come back and pick up Emma, run home to eat, take Emma to GS, then head to pick Caleb up. Come home, feed Caleb, bathe Will and put him to bed, then go pick up Emma ( Shon was home at this time so I was able to leave the boys with him)
Wednesday--today we have a dentist appointment for Jake (4:00) pick up cookie dough from the school, and take Caleb to football
Thursday--ballet at 4:30, football at 5:45, and Will has a doctor's appointment at 2:30.
Friday--Caleb has chess club, so he as to be at school at 7:40, then both older kids have eye appointments after school, and I am supposed to take my van in for an oil change and a recall notice on the power steering stuff.  I am tired just typing everything:-)  Jake asked me yesterday why he doesn't do anything after school--he told me he wanted to do karate--I told him if we can do it at a time right after school it would probably be ok:-)  Are you guys busier in fall than in any other time of year?

Sickness abounds

So last week 2 out of 4 kids and both parents fell victim to the sickies.  Not a fun week.  It started with me on Wednesday--I woke up with an ache in my stomach that got worse as the day went on.  I was able to take Will to his school and pick him up but nothing more.  I called Shon to come home and he arrived around 3pm.  I don't remember a whole lot because I slept off and on but finally threw up around 8 pm and felt much better.  The next day I went to Bible study and when it was over I had a few messages on my phone saying that Jake had thrown up at school--they were from an hour earlier. I felt like the worst parent ever.  I drove quickly over to the school and picked him up-he proceeded to throw up while we were there and then came home and slept for a few hours. He continued to throw up and not want to drink or use the bathroom, so I took him to the urgent care clinic.  He was diagnosed with strep throat. The next morning Caleb came down and said that his stomach, throat and head hurt, so I let him stay home that day as well--along with Jake and Shon was home too.  I took Caleb to the clinic and he was also diagnosed with strep throat.  Thankfully everyone felt better by Sunday--but it was a chaotic week for sure! 

Fourteen Months Old

Will you are 14 months old today!  You have been sick for the past week with some kind of bug--we have been to the doctor twice and you are still not over it.  You started running fever last Wednesday and continued to run fever until Saturday.  You have had an ear infection and cough and runny nose as well.  You have been sleeping a lot more than normal and your appetite is way down.  You are having trouble drinking your milk and water as well.  Normally you eat very well and are doing a great job drinking from your sippy cup.  You are enjoying school a bunch and have a great time while you are there.  You are wearing size 12-18 month for the most part in clothes. We had to buy you some new sleepers this month since the others were getting too small--they are 18 month size. You are finally getting a few more teeth--one has broken through on top and it looks like 3 more will come in pretty soon.  You are still eating mostly baby food, but have really enjoyed eating deli turkey and square cheese lately.  You also like goldfish, ritz crackers, mini vanilla wafers, and mini club crackers.  You have been standing up on your own but don't like to do it for long. You are very fast at crawling and love to go up the stairs--however you do not like to be up there by yourself. You actually fell down the stairs a few weeks ago--you managed to catch yourself about 3 stairs down but had a huge goose egg knot on your forehead:-( 
You are still receiving speech and physical therapy, and you are doing very well even though you protest at times.  You don't have any new words right now but are doing much better using the sign for more:-)
You had an ENT appointment last week and we started you on Prilosec 5 mg twice a day and also on Flonase, 1 squirt per nostril once a day.
You weighed 22 lbs and 15 oz at the doctor's office on Friday, and your head measurement was 49 cm. 
Since you have been sick you have been letting us snuggle you a bunch, which mommy loves, but wishes that you didn't have to be sick for you to act that way. 
Will, we love you so much!

Thirteen months old

This past Saturday Will turned 13 months old.  So far this month you have had a few milestones.  You have completely stopped breastfeeding.  You are drinking whole milk and water out of you sippy cups (we finally found 1 type you would take--so I bought about 6 of them at Wal Mart).  You still eat baby food but we have introduced quite a few 3rd foods and a lot of table food over the past month.  Your favorite food to eat right now is probably "square" cheese (American). You get so excited whenever you see it and are very impatient for me to get into small enough bites for you to eat.  You also are really enjoying whole bananas.  Another favorite food of your this month has been pumpkin muffins--you can eat a whole one on your own:-)  You are wearing 12-18 month clothing--some of the pants are a little long but most everything else fits you.  You have moved up to a size 4 diaper and are wearing overnight diapers at night. You are still not sleeping through the night--but now you wake up and want to get into bed with daddy and I and then you go right back to sleep. However if we try to move you back to your bed, you immediately wake up and are very unhappy. SO needless to say, mommy is very ready for this phase to stop:-)
Another first for you the past week is that you are standing on your own.  You were so proud of yourself the first time you did it you started clapping and that threw off your balance and you sat back down:-)  You also started going to a Mother's Day Out program last week--and you had such a good time.  There are only 5-6 other kids in the class and there are 3 teachers.  It is at one of the Methodist churches here and you did so well--no crying either day I left you. The school is from 9 until 1. Both days you did not take a nap but fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep--for 2 1/2 hours the first day and for 3 hours the second. 

You still love to play with balls--we bought you a toy that looks like a gumball machine that came with about 8 balls--you LOVE it.  You will play with it on your own for quite a while. You also like to bring the balls into the kitchen and roll them around and chase after them. You are cruising around on all the furniture and think it is really fun to fall into mom or dad when they are at your level.
You are also saying ball, mama, dada, and making motor noises with your mouth. 
We love you Will and can't wait to see what the next month brings!

September 11,2001

Ten years ago I was working as a pediatric nurse in Fort Smith, AR.  I had arrived at work around 7:45 and remember doing my normal morning routine to get ready for the day ahead.  Dr. Whitaker had a tv in his office and we were in there watching the news and they were showing the first tower smoking.  We were speculating that an airplane must have been way off course when the 2nd tower was hit.  I remember being shocked and upset--I wanted to run and get Caleb from daycare and just head home. He was only 4 months old at that time.  Shon and I talked about whether or not we needed to get gas and keep things stocked up at home--we remember a lot of lines at the gas stations that day, even in our small town of Lavaca outside Fort Smith.  We kept watching tv and saw the towers collapse--such disbelief.  I don't remember much else about that day--I think we were all in a daze.  I can hardly believe that it has been 10 years--every image of that day brings tears to my eyes. I am thankful they have completed the memorial in New York and really want to go and visit that someday.  I hope we never take our freedom for granted--I can remember thinking that I would really like to go and help somehow in New York but that I couldn't leave Caleb.  I just wanted to post my memories as hazy as they are about that awful day.

Quick update

I just wanted to mark this occasion--Will has decided he is done breast-feeding:-) I am mostly relieved and a little sad as this is definitely the last baby I will do this with:-( He is doing pretty well with a sippy cup of whole milk. He also started school on Wednesday this week--can I even tell you how nice it was to run errands ALL BY MYSELF? He goes from 9am until 1pm Wednesday and Friday--I think it will be great for both of us--he came home and took a 2 1/2 hour nap afterwards:-) We are in the busy season with football practice 3 nights a week and ballet twice a week (and they are on the same days of course). There is also school and doctor's appointments and I have started a Bible study at church on Thursday mornings. It is a good but busy time for us--more later!

What a week!

I just wanted to write down everything that has happened over the past few days--I hope this doesn't come across as complaining--we have just had a bunch of stuff happen to us in the last 1 1/2 weeks. So here goes:

Tuesday (16th): Emma gets stung by a wasp/bee/something after going across the neighborhood to the park (where she is not supposed to go by herself). It was also open house for Caleb and Emma (Jake's was the night before). They found out who their teachers were. Caleb also had football practice.

Wednesday (17th): Will runs 101.4 temp off and on all day and is really fussy. Caleb has football practice.

Thursday(18th): First day of school for Caleb, Emma and Jake. Will is breaking out into clusters of spots all over both arms and is still fussy. Washing machine locks and will not unlock while I have Caleb's football clothes in it. I have to take off the bottom panel and manually unlock the door, then hand wash football clothes. Kids arrive home from their first bus ride with good reports on the first day of school. Caleb has football practice.

Friday (19th): Washing machine repair man is supposed to come between 12-5pm today. Will and I make a quick run to the grocery store since we are out of diapers, milk and bread. Will is breaking out even more in spots--they are now on his legs, bottom, and around his mouth and on his wrists and fingers. I debate whether or not to take him to the doctor but ultimately decide to wait. Kids have a great 2nd day of school. Washing machine repair guy arrives at 4:53pm. Says we need a new control unit board. It will cost $600--we opt to get a new washer instead as this problem has been ongoing for over 2 years.

Saturday (20th): We decide to go look for a washer today at Sears. Since Will was up a ton last night, we get a late start to the day and have to wait until Will wakes up from his nap to leave. While waiting after lunch, Jake rolls off the couch and starts crying about his arm hurting. He cries for 15 minutes straight and asks to go to the walk-in clinic. Emma decides to go with me. Caleb is playing at his friend Christopher's house, and Will is asleep at home with Shon. We get to the urgent care clinic and there is a bit of a wait. Once back in the room we wait even longer. They take us for an xray and we wait some more. The doctor comes in and to my shock says the elbow is broken and that we need to go over to the Women's and Children's hospital to await the ortho guys there. We receive a copy of our xrays and they put a fiberglass splint on Jake. I take Emma back home and Will is still asleep (3:30 pm at this point). I get Jake a stuffed animal to take with him and grab my ipad for some entertainment. We head to the ER at the hospital. There we wait some more and are taken back to a room. We have more xrays done. Jake is examined by the ER doctor, a peds resident and a peds med student. He is then examined by 2 orthopedic residents. After much discussion they finally decide to send us home after re splinting his arm. We are told they will call on Sunday about his surgery appointment for Monday. Jake is given pain meds (Fentanyl) via his nose before they splint him. He is very happy after this:-) We arrive home around 8 pm after getting McDonald's to eat.

Sunday (21st): Shon stays home with Jake and Will (who had a 3 1/2 hour nap total on Saturday and has no more spots thankfully but the ones he does have are more red/blistery). Emma, Caleb and I go to church. We drop off Jake's prescription for Tylenol #3 and go get some lunch. We pick up the prescription and head back home. After lunch everyone rests and then we decide to grill out steaks for supper. I head back to the store. We get a call that Jake has surgery scheduled for Monday. We need to be at the hospital between 6:30 and 7 am. Everyone goes to be early. My cell phone decides today is a great day to completely quit working.

Monday (22nd): Jake and I leave the house around 6:25. We arrive at the hospital and after a few minutes are told the right area to go to. We get him signed in and get back in a room around 7:30am. He gets into his hospital pjs and settles into the bed in the room. We watch tv and watch tv and watch tv. The anesthesiologist arrives to talk about what he will be doing. We watch a lot more tv (Phineas and Ferb). Finally around 10:15 they arrive to take him back to surgery. The peds ortho doctor says they will try and do a closed reduction (meaning no surgery necessary) but if they can't then he will have 2 pins put in his arm. I head out to the waiting area. Around 11am they call me back to the consultation room and let me know the doctor will be there in a minute to talk to me. Shon's cell phone, although fully charged when I left the house, is now almost dead so I cannot update that way anymore. The doctor says they were able to do a closed reduction. He is in recovery and I will be able to see him soon. About 20 minutes later they let me back into a different room while I wait for Jake. He starts crying as soon as he sees me:-( He is most upset about the fact that he has an IV in his foot. He is able to eat a popsicle (orange) and drink some Sprite and they take out the IV. We leave the hospital around 1pm. Jake falls asleep in the car after receiving morphine immediately after the reduction and then oxycodone before we left the hospital. He sleeps at home while I run to the store (Shon is home with Will after taking the older 2 to school). I get soup, Jello, and Sprite at the store, along with a few other items. Jake does well most of the afternoon. He falls back asleep around 4:30. When he wakes up at 6 he just wants to go back to bed. I feel his forehead and he is really warm. Temp is 101.6. I give him Tylenol along with some sips of his Sonic orange slush. About 10 minutes later after refusing supper I help him sit up and then go grab his pjs. He stands up for me to help him and immediately throws up everywhere. I hustle him to the bathroom where he throws up again. We get his clothes off and get him into the bath after wrapping his cast in a Walmart bag. After the bath I help him into pjs and then off to bed. He does well for most of the night--no more throwing up.

Tuesday (22nd): Jake is staying home today. He continues to run fever off and on. I call the ortho office and they say to let them know if it gets over 101 again. So far so good. He has a great day for the most part and is able to keep down everything. No complaints of pain. Emma and Caleb have a good day at school. Emma starts ballet today and Caleb has football. Shon and I divide and conquer:-) Emma wakes me up in the middle of the night saying she feels sick to her stomach:-( Hopefully things will get back to normal soon! Jake is going to school on Wednesday and Emma is probably staying home since she felt pretty warm to me.

I am impressed if anyone other than my mom is still reading after all of this:-)

1 year old!

Will you are 1! Mommy cannot believe how fast this year has flown by. You have been doing so much over the past few months (mommy missed posting your 11 month old post--oops!) You are rolling over from your back to your stomach both ways and love sleeping on your tummy now--you are sleeping without anything covering you other than a blanket. However, your sleep has not been great--you are only taking 1 nap and we have been struggling at night to get you to sleep for more than 4 hours at a time. You are crawling everywhere and are pulling up on everything. You also will cruise along the couch (just to the left) and love banging on the windows in the kitchen and the sliding glass door. You are eating about the same but we have introduced more crackers, american cheese, turkey from the deli, biscuits, and chocolate/whole milk. You are not too sure about the sippy cup with milk in it and absolutely do not understand the bottle concept.

You are wearing size 3 diapers and are wearing Huggies overnight diapers in size 4 at night. You are wearing 12-18 month clothing. You still love going to the pool and splashing. The last time we went, you tried to crawl into the deeper water and got a faceful before mommy rescued you. You like going into the deep end with mommy holding you but you try to get me to let go:-) You enjoyed going to Meme's for the 4th of July--mommy almost wanted to leave you there because you slept so well--you took 2 five hour naps and slept most of the night because we stayed in the safe room there, which has no windows:-) You still take a pacifier a lot of the time. You have been to the doctor a few times--once for an ear infection and once for croupy cough. You also started therapy this past month after your evaluation for the early childhood program through the state, which you did qualify for. You are receiving physical therapy once a week and speech therapy as well. You also are wearing orthotics in your shoes to strengthen your ankles, which you really don't like. Both therapists come to the house so that is very nice for mommy.

You are growing and learning new things almost everyday. We are so proud to call you ours and love you so much Will! Happy Birthday!

Vacation Daze

Well, the youngest 2 and I are back from our vacation in Branson--oh my. I think this is the only time mom and I will try to go without the guys and with all the kids. I loaded up and arrived last Sunday with all 4 kids in tow. We met mom at her time-share and went to check-in at the place we were staying--Wyndham at Branson Meadows. It was very nice--we had 2 adjoining rooms that both had their own kitchens and bathrooms, and a nice balcony as well. We unloaded our van and went and ate at Steak and Shake for supper. Then everyone went to bed after baths when we got back to the room. Caleb was able to stay with mom in her place ( his choice). The next morning we had decided to go ahead and get shopping done in the morning so the kids could swim in the afternoon (mom's time-share has a neat zero depth entry pool that is about 1 ft in a lot of areas so I knew Will would enjoy that). We went to the "blue-roof" mall (Tanger) and shopped for a little over an hour. Then we decided we would go back to where I was staying and eat lunch and then go to the pool at mom's. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans? On the way to where I was staying, my van locked up and completely died--no power steering, no air conditioning--I could barely get it over to the side of the road. I had no idea what was wrong--we had no warning and then 4 different warning lights came on. I immediately started to panic--I had literally no idea what to do. Then I decided to call our auto insurance--who were no help whatsoever. They told me the soonest they could get a tow truck to me was 60-90 minutes but if we were in an unsafe place, it would be better for us to call the police. I admit--I wasn't very nice--I just hung up. Then I had to look up the non-emergency police and call them--I had just spoke with a very nice dispatch person when a police car pulled up behind us--thank you Jesus! The officer was extremely nice and called the dispatch back and told them since we were not completely off the road he would stay with us until the tow truck arrived--which ended up taking about an hour. So, just imagine--all 4 kids plus me in the back of a police car (since his car had air conditioning he very nicely let us sit in his car and kept it running). Police cars have no comfortable rear seat--it has no cloth or leather--just the molded form, not to mention no way out with the bars and no door handles. Then the kids started whining--I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, etc. Thankfully my mom brought 2 apples and 3 bottles of water with her so that sated them for a little while. Caleb was very impressed with the 2 guns and the taser kept in the console area of the front seat:-) After about an hour the tow truck arrived and got the van ready to tow to Springfield to the Honda place there. I forgot to get the base of Will's car seat out of the van (important for later) and I also forgot all of our shopping bags. We had to call a cab to take us to the place where we were staying because the police officer was going to but after talking to his sergeant he was not allowed to ( he said some do and some don't'--it just depends on who you talk to). My mom rode in the cab to get her car and then came back and picked us all up. I asked the police man if it was going to be a problem for us riding the way we were in her car--he said--I'm going the opposite direction you are--so I won't see what you are doing:-) Like I said, a very nice man. We finally made it back to the condo and ate some lunch. Then mom took the 3 oldest to her condo for some swimming and I had a few hours to myself after I put Will down for a nap. We decided to eat a simple supper that night and tried to put the day behind us. Caleb ended up staying with mom again that night.

Tuesday: By this morning we were waiting to hear from the Honda place on what was wrong with the car--it turns out that the engine had completely shut down because there was hardly any oil left. I always went by the light in my van that showed how much oil life was left, and it showed 30%, so I'm still not sure how that could happen. SO, we would need a new engine. A brand new one is $9500 but they were sure they could find one or two at a salvage yard that might be cheaper if we wanted them to look--um, yes please. That was not a pleasant conversation to have with Shon. We were quickly determining this would be our only vacation this summer with the cost of an engine obliterating our trip to Williamsburg this summer. Shon was on his way to Branson so that we could drive to Fayetteville later on that day--we really didn't know when he would be arriving so we decided to find something to do other than swimming and ended up going to the Butterfly Palace. It was a pretty neat place--you went in and the butterflies literally would land on you--we told the kids repeatedly to be careful not to step on any:-) There was a maze they could go through, a (LONG) movie about the butterflies that we decided not to watch, and an outdoor climbing area that we did not go on because of the heat. We decided after that to go to Olive Garden to eat lunch. The kids did really well and when we got done there, Shon had made it and met us in the parking lot. We went back to the condo for a few minutes and then piled in 2 different cars to head to Fayetteville. We made good time there (I was in the car with mom, Will, and Jake, and Shon took Caleb and Emma). Will cried a good portion of the way there--not much fun for either of the adults in the car. We made it to our hotel in Springfield and since it was right behind Marketplace, that is where we ate supper (it didn't hurt that kids ate free:-) After supper we headed back to the hotel and watched tv and the kids ran from our room to my mom's (thankfully we had 2 suites and were on the end of the hallway where no one else was:-) Everyone slept really well and at a good breakfast at the hotel the next morning.

Wednesday: After breakfast Shon had a few things to do so mom and I decided we would head to Target really quickly to get a little shopping in. We met Shon at our house in Fayetteville and were greeted with a yard with weeds that were taller than I was--it looked really bad. We also discovered that some siding had blown off the side of our house from one of the recent storms in the area. I called the guy that was supposed to meet us at the house and he was not going to be able to join us for a little bit so Shon decided he would go ahead and go back to Columbia with Caleb and Emma (they were going to go back to summer school). Mom and I ended up sitting in a really hot house with 2 cranky kids for about 2 hours waiting on the guy to show up so we could sign the final paperwork on the repairs that had been done for the frozen pipe. After he came and went (which took all of 10 minutes) we headed to Red Robin for lunch. Will fell asleep on the way there, and was pretty cranky off and on during the meal. Mom and I then headed on to Rogers to do some shopping at the Promenade. I went to Williams Sonoma as Jake had fallen asleep on the way to Rogers:-) I bought everything I had on my list and used some birthday money. We also went to Pottery Barn and Sephora. By that time, it was time to head home--which was a disaster. Will cried the entire trip back, save about the last 10 minutes--we even stopped outside of Huntsville to see if he needed his diaper changed or what--he was just extremely fussy. So needless to say, mom was pretty much done at that point and dropped us off and went back to her condo for some peace and quiet:-) I bathed the kids and got them in bed and then just tried to have some relaxation time for myself. Shon and the other 2 made it home fine--they actually decided to drive through Joplin to see the damage for themselves and Shon said it was really really bad.

Thursday: We decided we needed to go ahead a rent a car for me since they were not sure when the engine would be available. We headed to Springfield and went to the car rental place (enterprise) and got a car, then we headed to Schlotsky's to eat lunch. After lunch we went to Krspy Kreme donuts:-) I had never had a hot donut from there before and the lady working was kind enough to give us the hot donut holes that were being prepared while we were there:-) We ended up getting some for breakfast the next day. After that it looked like a storm was heading our way so we loaded up in 2 cars and headed back to Branson. We decided to have mexican for supper that night and went to a little place in West Branson that was very good. After that, mom came by the condo and helped me get them bathed and in bed, and we both went our separate ways and collapsed:-)

Friday: This was the day we decided to go ahead and head home. Mom came over and helped watch the kids while I loaded the car. I was able to fit everything in except for the stroller I had brought, so mom took that with her. We decided to go to the Landing before we left. We went to Belk's first and got some Yellowbox flip flops. We then wandered around and decided to eat lunch at a burger place there. After lunch we went into Ridezmakers--Jake ended up getting a Lightening McQueen car that he customized:-) ( if you haven't been in one of these stores, it is like Build a Bear but for cars). We then headed home. Will began screaming of course as soon as we got on our way. I stopped in Springfield and bought a new car seat for him at Walmart, since I though maybe that was the problem (Shon had brought a new car seat for him since we left the base of the car in the van). It didn't help much, though. After spending about 40 minutes switching around car seats, I went to McDonald's and got Jake and I a Rolo McFlurry. We then got back on the road. The new car seat helped some but as soon as we got into town I went to the urgent care clinic for Will ( we didn't even go home first). He was diagnosed with an ear infection and was given an antibiotic. So thankfully there was a reason for his crying. I took the antibiotic to be filled and then we made it home. I don't think I will ever go on vacation with all four kids by myself again!

10 months old (a few days late)

Will you are 10 months old! We have had quite a month with you:-) At your 9 month doctors appointment, she recommended that we see a pediatric neurologist since your head was continuing to get bigger at a faster rate than what is "normal" and also due to some hypotonia, which basically means low tone of muscle in your legs. That means that you are not really pulling up to stand or trying to crawl very well right now. So, we went to get an appointment to see if you had any developmental delay, and they earliest we were told he could get in was July 11th. I don't know about you, but if you were told your child might possible be delayed, you really wouldn't want to wait until July to address the problem.

Thankfully, with the field Shon is in, he had access to a neurologist and could ask a lot of questions to find out if it was ok to wait that long or not. The neuro doc Shon spoke with offered to help get us in earlier, and we took him up on it. So, Will was seen on May 23rd instead of July 11th:-) We met with Dr. Hoffman, who was wonderful. He fit us into his schedule and took a lot of time looking Will over and going over with us what he was looking for. He did not think there was anything wrong with he head, other than the fact that he always sleeps on his back--he never rolls over, so the back of his head is flatter, which make the sides larger, which accounts for the big head size:-) Plus, Shon had a big, big head as a baby:-) On the low tone issue, he did agree there might be some developmental delay, but though that an evaluation by a program in Missouri called First Steps would be the first thing to do--they provide therapy free of charge to kids 3 and under if they qualify for it. So Will might need some physical therapy to help catch him up with where he is supposed to be. Dr. Hoffman called it "delayed myelination", which basically means his nerves in his lower extremities are not as far along as they should be, but they should catch up by the time he is 2 years old. We were very relieved to hear this news, since being in the medical field you know all the worst-case scenarios and try not to think that direction but it is hard:-) Will was started in the program with all the paper work on Friday , and we should get together with a PT person in the next few weeks for an evaluation.

Will, you weight 19lbs 13 oz and were 29 inches long at your 9 month appointment. I took you to the walk-in clinic yesterday because we are leaving for vacation on Sunday and you had been up 5 times on Thursday night and also refused to breast feed, which never happens. I just wanted to make sure your ears were ok. You weighed 20lbs 13 oz at the walk-in clinic:-) The doctor said you had a little fluid in each ear but they weren't infected, and that your throat was red but it was not strep. He did give us an antibiotic just in case but I have not filled it yet--we are waiting to see how you do over the next few days:-)

You are sitting up extremely well these days and have just learned how to push yourself back up into a sitting position from being on your stomach. You are not crawling but will push yourself backwards across the floor--which of course makes you mad because you are not going in the direction you want to go:-) You still are drooling a ton and still have no teeth to speak of. We started you on Cheerios this past month and you love them, but not as much as you love the Gerber's Yogurt Melts--you get super-excited whenever you see that package coming your way:-) You have also tried the puffs and as far as table food goes, you have tried refried beans ( a few bites) rolls, deli turkey, guacamole, strawberries, and watermelon. You liked most everything you tried, but seemed like you couldn't quite figure out the watermelon:-)

You wear size 12 month pajamas for the most part--the size 9 month are too short:-) You are still wearing a size 3 diaper and wear 6-12 month and some 12-18 month clothing. You are still waking at night at least once but usually twice--mommy is ready for this stage to be over with:-) You go right back to sleep after eating, though. You are still saying dada and have recently started making a lot of noise with your tongue--sticking it out and in very fast:-) You also have really started to enjoy spitting at everything--always with lots of drool involved. You light up whenever you see your brothers or sister and are enjoying watching them play video games.

This has been a busy month and I expect the rest of the summer will be as well. You go on your first trip to Branson next week and I look forward to seeing how you do. We love you Will!

9 months old

Will, you are 9 months old today! You are wearing size 3 diapers and some 6-12 month clothing, 9-12 month sleepers and 12 month sleepers. You are also wearing some 12-18 month clothing. You eat 4-5 jars of baby food a day--the second foods. You are still not eating any solid foods yet, although we did give you bites of roll at Lonestar yesterday, and apparently I was not fast enough a few times because you helped me put the bite in your mouth. You are sitting on your own really well--but we still like to be right near you in case you lean back too far--which you have done a few times and fallen backwards:-) You are not crawling but will push up pretty far when on your stomach--you just can't figure out what to do with your legs yet:-) You don't have any teeth yet--but you are still drooling a bunch.
We went back to the ENT doctor last month and he said we could take you off all the medicine you were on for reflux, but that we needed to come back 1 more time to check you.
You are still not sleeping through the night, but we did manage to get you out of being swaddled thanks to a wonder product called the Peke Moe--it is a big blanket that looks a lot like a Snuggie except that it goes over your head and has an opening at the top and zips at the bottom--you really like it and have slept well in it from the first time your wore it.
We have an appointment for your 9 month check up tomorrow so I will blog about your weight and height then:-) I am sure you are over 20 lbs though:-)
You said your first word last month--dada, of course. You have been jabbering quite a bit--lalala, gagaga, and dadada are words I recognize. You have also taken to growling at people--you growled at Dr. Gov-Ari after he said you didn't neet to gain any more weight:-)
Will, you are really showing us your personality more and more--we can't wait to see what the next month brings:-) We love you!

Double Digits

Caleb is 10 years old today--I can't believe he is in double digits now! It seems like just yesterday I was in the hospital waiting to be induced--how time flies! I made cupcakes for your class today (yellow cake mix with homemade chocolate frosting). Then we went to Lonestar for supper per Caleb's request--such a good supper. After that we ate cake and ice cream and then opened presents. I will add pictures soon, but wanted to make sure I wrote on Caleb's birthday. Caleb, you are growing into such a sweet young man. It is fun to watch you with your youngest brother--you are so gentle with him and love him so much. You and Emma and Jake can fight at times but I know you all love each other. I hope you had a wonderful birthday--I love you!

Out of Comission

With so much to do in the next week, Shon and I decided to run some errands on Saturday after Emma was finished with track practice. Our first stop was Lowe's after eating lunch. Of course Emma and Jake decided they needed to use the bathroom after being there for 5 minutes so I took them toward the back of the store. As we were walking, Emma's foot kicked back and connected with my flip-flop covered foot and I felt instant pain that took my breath away. I seriously think this hurt worse than childbirth--I could barely walk. We finished in the store with me walking very slowly--I probably would have used one of the scooters if they had had one in the store:-)
We obviously did not go anywhere else but home after that and I hobbled in the house and put my foot up. We got Will down for a nap and that's when I noticed my toe felt numb--so I decided it would probably be a good idea to go to urgent care and get an xray just to be safe. I told Shon I was leaving and drove myself there.
Thankfully I was the only one there at urgent care and was seen and taken care of in about 20 minutes. They took an xray and it was definitely broken--I received some pain meds and a lovely black boot/shoe to stabilize my foot when walking. I dropped off the script and headed back home. Shon went and picked it up and I took some meds and finished the rest of the night on the couch. I also buddy taped my toes (which means you tape the injured toe to the one right next to it to stabilize it more) and that helped some but it still was pretty swollen as I went to bed.
The doctor said it would take 6 to 8 weeks to heal completely--but that the first 48 hours would probably be the worst. Today has been better than yesterday but it is still hurting. Emma felt so bad about what happened and has apologized at least 15 times:-) So, I will be more careful from now on when walking in flip-flops:-)

Emma's Birthday in Kansas City (warning: picture heavy post!)

Emma with her cheesecake:-)

Emma's 8th birthday was April 13th, and she requested that we go to Kansas City so she could go to the American Girl Doll store there. We invited my parents to join us for the fun, and they agreed. We fit a lot into basically 24 hours in Kansas City. When we arrived and after we checked in to our hotel, we left to go eat at Cheesecake Factory (yum--I had never been before). After eating we went to Barnes and Noble so the kids could use the gift cards they got from my sister. By the time we finished there, we went back to the hotel and went to bed. The next morning after breakfast we checked out of the hotel and got ready to go to the American Girl store:-) Emma was so excited:-) We arrived a little before the store was open, so we went into another Barnes and Noble (we apparently like books a lot) and shopped some more. Then it was time to go in. Emma ran in and started looking at everything. She had brought one of her dolls with her, so she took her over to the doll salon (these people know how to get you to spend money). We signed Julie (her doll) up for a cleaning and hairstyle and ear piercing. Emma, mom and I then went and looked around the store while the boys gladly escaped to the rest of the mall:-) I had told Emma she could have the doll of the year for her birthday, so we set about buying her and 1 outfit (Emma picked a running combo) and mom bought her another outfit and a little purse thing to carry her dolls in. When we were finished we met the boys and did a little more shopping. Then it was time for lunch! We had decided to try and eat at the T-Rex Cafe. It was at another mall near the Kansas Motor Speedway, so we headed out. It was a very neat place to eat, and of course the kids wanted to go to the Build-A-Dino store they had in the restaurant:-) ( I know it sounds like they are spoiled, but we rarely buy them things other than birthdays and Christmas, so we felt ok letting them have a few extras this trip). They each picked a dinosaur to get (except Will--he slept through most of the restaurant). After we ate, our last stop was to go to Union Station and go to the Science Museum. It was a little pricey but the kids had a lot of fun looking at the different exhibits and they loved all the hands-on stuff. We left KC and headed home, where my sweet husband stopped at Krispy Kreme donuts for all of us a few miles outside of KC. We also took a quick tour of Shon's corporate headquarters, since they are based in Kansas City. All in all, it was a great weekend and a lot of fun for all the kids. Caleb has requested to go to St. Louis for his birthday in a few weeks, so hopefully we will have a fun adventure there as well.

8 Months Old

Will, you are 8 months old today! You have finally learned to roll over from your stomach to your back (on March 19th) but have not tried the other was:) You are babbling so much the past week or so--a lot of lalala and gagaga but no true words yet. It appears you found your voice while the other kids were gone on Spring Break:) You are still enjoying baby food--you have tried all of the 2nd foods now. You will chew on a sippy cup filled with water but are surprised when you actually get a drink:) You probably weigh over 19lbs now--we go back to the doctor on Wednesday to re-measure your head circumference, so I will post the weight then. You wear 6-12 month clothing for the most part, although I did put you in some Old Navy pjs that were 12-18 months since I think they run small. You still wear a size 3 diaper. You love to take a bath and splash anyone in sight. You also are drooling like crazy and want your hands in your mouth constantly--but still no teeth. You are still not completely stable sitting up although you are much improved. You still have trouble sleeping through the night and that is the 1 thing mommy wishes would resolve before you are 9 months old:) You still light up whenever you siblings come into view--after not seeing them over Spring Break you just jabbered when you saw them for the first time. We had to travel to Texas for my grandmother's memorial service and you were such a great car rider. We rode down and back with nana and papa. Mommy calculated that we were in the car for about 30 hours total getting to and from Columbia and you were wonderful. You have started taking an interest in other people and will flirt quite a bit if someone talks to you:) Will, the time is flying by! I can't wait to see what the next month will hold. We love you!

Random post

I want to try to "catch up" with several things that have happened over the last few months. So, here goes:-)
We have had record snow falls here in Columbia (and in NWA as well). My kids missed 5 Fridays in a row of school--I was about to go stir crazy. We have missed a total of 9 days of school so far for weather, so that puts the kids getting out on June 3rd as of right now. Our biggest snow fall of the year was around 19 inches--it was crazy to see so much snow--I don't remember ever having that much growing up.
During the big snow and freeze that happened in Fayetteville, apparently a pipe froze and burst in our house there--this was discovered by a realtor attempting to show our home--instead he found about 1 inch of water everywhere in the downstairs. He did turn off the water and called our realtor, who went out to the house, took pictures and called us. So for the past month I have been dealing with getting the claim started, getting people out to the house to get the water-damaged areas stripped, and now we are waiting on a contractor to give us an estimate to start fixing all the damage. I will say that so far things have not been to overwhelming--I just hate not being there in town. Our realtor and one of my very best friends have gone to the house whenever we needed someone to be there, for which I am grateful. Our insurance will cover all the damage except for our deductible--which was smaller than I anticipated, so that is another blessing.
We are gearing up for spring by getting ready for baseball season with Caleb. He has player evaluations on Saturday--I am hoping his nerves don't get the best of him:-) Emma has decided she wants to try track, so the sign up for that is also this Saturday. Finally, Jake has a birthday party that I still need to go out and get a gift for that is tomorrow as well--very busy weekend.
Spring break will be here in a few weeks as well--the older 3 kids are going to stay with my in-laws because Shon will be working and Will and I are headed down to Texas for a memorial service for my grandmother (my mom's mom). She passed away after dealing with Alzheimer's and then got pneumonia and quietly passed. So, I am headed down there with mom and dad to meet my aunt, uncle, cousins and their families, and my sister. I am actually looking forward to this mini-reunion. It's been years since we have all seen each other. Another thing I am looking forward to over Spring Break is rearranging the kids bedrooms to try and get Will upstairs and out of our bedroom-this momma is ready for a full nights sleep again. Speaking of Will--I just heard him crying to that is my cue to cut off this post and go get him!

7 months old

Will, you are seven months old! It doesn't seem possible that you are now closer to 1 year--time is really flying by:-) Here is what you have been doing:
You still are not sleeping through the night--most nights you wake at least once. You still won't go to sleep without being swaddled--we tried last night and you did eventually fall asleep, but you refused to stay that way, so momma swaddled you anyway--and you slept from 10:30 until 4:30 this morning. So who knows what we are going to do with you and sleeping.
You have tried all the first foods and most of the 2nd foods. We give you one fruit, one vegetable, and one cereal 2nd foods everyday. You usually have cereal in the morning, but I switched it yesterday and today to fruit in the morning, veggie at lunch, and cereal at bedtime to see if it will help you sleep longer. We will see if the better sleeping continues.
You wear size 3 diapers and size 6-9 or 6-12 months clothing.
You are able to sit on your own for a few seconds before you topple in different directions.
You still are refusing to roll over--you hate to be on your stomach for any amount of time at all--you actually look a little like a reverse turtle-your hands and legs are flailing and you rest on your tummy (shell). Mommy and daddy might have laughed at you quite a bit when you do this:-)
You love your brothers and sister--they can make you smile even if you were just screaming your head off--and they love trying to make you smile--so no jealousy still, which is nice.
You are taking 2 naps (for the most part) each day--one in the morning and one in the afternoon/evening.
You have graduated to the "big" bathtub. We have tried several things and when you are sitting up on your own we will use them but for now you lie down on a little sponge-type blue penguin and love to kick and splash mommy with water:-)
You are drooling constantly but still no teeth or swollen gums--you can soak a bib in about 5 minutes time, though.
You still love the jumper and will tolerate the swing, but you have not been enjoying the baby gym as much.
We went for a walk outside in a stroller and you LOVED it--mommy can't wait for warmer weather so we can do this everyday.
Will, we are so proud to have you in our family and look forward to seeing what you accomplish over the next month!

Six (actually seven) month well child check up

Will had his well child check up today--and he turns 7 months old tomorrow, so I will write about all the statistics today and write about what he is doing tomorrow (yes 2 post in 2 days!). Here are the stats from today:
weight: 18 lbs 4 oz (75th%)
height: 27.5 inches (50th%)
His head was measured but I don't remember what it was, only that it was between the 75th and 90th %--so the pediatrician wants us to come back in a month to measure it again because he had moved up some in his percentile from last time. Of course, when I told Shon he tells me he had a big head as a baby, so that made me feel a little bit better.
He also received 3 shots--which he was not a fan of. I also forgot to bring his pacifier with me, so he resorted to sucking on his burp cloth in between bouts of crying. Poor baby. The doctor said he is on track developmentally even though he is still not rolling over--although he almost did when we were at the office:-) She advised me to stop swaddling him and try to get him to go to sleep without it--that should be fun. I am also going to have to re-start him on his Zantac and vitamins. He sounded pretty bad today--the first day I have noticed him with "wheezy" breathing since taking him off the Zantac (per our ENT doctor's instructions:-) Anyway, maybe it will help with the lack of sleeping through the night-although I won't hold my breath:-) That's all for now--he just woke up from his only nap today--and it wasn't very long so we'll see how the night progresses:-)

A first

So we had a bit of excitement in the house yesterday afternoon. Jake was telling me how hungry he was and I told him to go in the kitchen and finish his peanut butter sandwich from lunch--he immediately ran from the living room to the kitchen. A second letter I hear a loud scream and then crying. I figured he must have hit his head on the edge of the bar ( he has done this several times) so I thought his head must hurt but I admit I didn't jump right up since he has done this before. However, as all moms know there are cries and then there is the cry--the one that tells you something is really wrong. This was one of those cries. I got up and went to him and immediately saw his hair looked wet in the front--only to discover it was blood, and a lot of it--he had it dripping down his face and all over his hands. I admit--I panicked! I ran to get a towel and was very upset--Shon was just telling me to calm down. Jake was crying mainly because of the blood on his hands--Shon helped him get it off and then I was able to check out his head--he had a pretty good gash on the top--almost and inch long. I couldn't really tell how deep it went because of the hair in the way, but I figured we should definitely take him to the ER or urgent care to get him checked out to be safe. So, Jake and I loaded up in the van and left for urgent care. Thankfully it is only about 5 minutes from our house and they weren't very busy.
We arrived and got checked in and were taken back to see the doctor in about 15 minutes. The nurse cleaned off his head with some normal saline and gauze very gently. Then the doctor came in. He looked at the gash and decided he needed something to help it stay closed so it wouldn't keep bleeding. He came back in the room with all his supplies and Jake turned around on the table and laid down. I held his hands and the doctor gave him about 5 shots of Lidocaine to numb the area--Jake was such a trooper. All he kept saying was ow but he kept still. Once the area was numb, the doctor cleaned it a little more vigorously and I was able to see that it was a deeper gash that I originally thought--so I was very glad I took him. He produced a little miniature staple gun and after 5 staples the wound was closed. He even made sure to get all of his hair out of the way for the staples so we didn't have to cut any of it:-)
The nurse came back in with our instructions for caring for his head and also to put some antibiotic ointment on it. Then we were able to leave. I took Jake to Andy's for some frozen custard and we went home to show the kids his war wound:-)
I was able to gently wash around his staples last night to try to get some of the dried blood out of his hair so that he could go to school today with semi-normal hair:-) The first thing he did this morning was tell every child that came through the door that he got staples in his head:-) It's never dull around here!
I am thankful that this is the first time anyone in the family has needed this type of urgent care--God has been very faithful to take care of us.

6 months old!

Will, you are 6 months old today! I cannot believe half a year has already gone by since you were born--time is flying!

You are no longer on any medicine for your reflux and laryngomalacia. You are wearing 6-9 month and 6-12 month clothing--and it mostly fits:-) You wear a size 3 diaper. You take 2-3 naps a day--always swaddled. However, your daddy has started calling you Houdini because you have been kicking your legs out from the swaddle blanket. You have finally started sleeping more at night-the last few nights you have only woken up at 4-4:30 to eat.

You started baby food about 3 weeks ago--you have tried all the fruits and cereals, and most of the veggies. You really like sweet potatoes and carrots but really don't like peas:-) You have finally figured out how to eat from a spoon without spitting all of it out on your bib.

You have been drooling a ton the past month--I have bought you several teethers and you enjoy chewing on the a little bit but you mostly like your hands.

I have really been trying the past few weeks to get you on a better schedule--you are usually up by 7:30 and down for your first nap between 9 and 9:30. Your next nap is usually around 1 pm unless you sleep later in your 1st one. Then you may have another nap between 4 and 5pm, which only lasts 45 minutes to 1 hour. Then it's bedtime between 7 and 8pm.

You still do not roll over, mainly because you absolutely hate to be on your stomach. Lately if I put you on it you pull your legs underneath you, so you might crawl before you roll over:-) You are really enjoying your jumping gym.

You LOVE hearing your brothers and sister and your face lights up whenever they come around you--you always have a smile for them, even if 1 second before you were fussing.

We love you so much and are amazed at how fast this time has gone with you. We look forward to many more fun months ahead.

Quick Post

I have a lot of posts that I want to write but have not had the time lately since we have had way too many days with all the kids and the hubby at home ( and more snow is expected this week--another 3-6 inches--we just got rid of all the stuff that fell the last time!) Anyway, just wanted to write down about Will's appointment today for my memory. He had an ENT appointment to check on his reflux and laryngomalacia. He did so well! He weighed 16.3 lbs and the effects of the laryngomalacia are just about gone--no more noisy breathing or choking when he eats. He snores every once in a while but nothing like before. The doctor wants to continue him on Zantac for 6 more weeks and then take him off and see how he does. We are supposed to go back and see him in 3 months for our final appointment. God is so good--no long term problems and he is almost done with medicine:-) More later! I have to go fix something for supper:-)

Happy 5th Birthday Jake!

Jake, you are 5 years old today! It doesn't seem possible that my 3rd baby is that old and will be heading off to kindergarten in August. Time has flown by! We had your well child check up today and you weighed 39 lbs (50th %) and were 43 inches (75%) tall. You love all things Toy Story 3 and Cars. You love playing with Emma and sometimes with Caleb:-) You love going to school and ask everyday if it is a school day (you go on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). You have learned to write your name and can count up to 16. You are a very good eater and will usually eat anything put in front of you (except for roast and cubed steak--maybe a texture thing?) You are very helpful with your baby brother and love to hold him. You can dress yourself but still enjoy having help with your bath, washing your hair, and brushing your teeth. You go with the flow pretty well unless you really wanted to do something else. You have enjoyed learning to play video games this year--your favorites are on the DS and the playstation. You have some trouble staying in your bed at night--a process we are still working on. We tried a ticket system to get a toy at the end of 14 nights of staying in your bed, but after the 14 nights you were right back downstairs. You hate talking on the phone to anyone, including me. You also dislike when you have to have your hands dirty--especially if you have to touch something cold or sticky:-) You are a sweet little boy and I can't wait to see what exciting things God has in store for you this year--we love you Jakers!

5 months old

Will you are 5 months old today! Here are some highlights from the past month:

You had your first Christmas and didn't really know what to think--you actually slept through the older kids opening all their gifts and woke up about 8:30am. You didn't pay much attention to you gifts but enjoyed the company of both sets of grandparents that day.

I am not sure how much you weigh but you are starting to outgrow your 3-6 months clothing.

You tried rice cereal but really didn't seem to like it (like every other child). It seemed to upset your tummy so we are waiting to start it again until you are 6 months old.

You wear a size 2 diaper although I feel like we will move up a size before you are 6 months old.

We finally ordered your crib and put it up last Friday--you have been sleeping great in it. We are still waiting on your bedding.

Mom finally figured out that you would enjoy being swaddled for naps as well--the first day I swaddled you for a nap you slept for 3 hours.

You have been taking 2 good 2-3 hour naps each day since and still sleeping most of the night.

You have really been blowing raspberries this month--and drooling all over the place.

You have been spitting up more lately--I think due to the fact that you have outgrown the current dosage of Zantac you are on.

You are smiling a ton at your brothers and sister--all they have to do is start talking and you grin and grin.

You love your daddy--you missed him when he went to the Sugar Bowl ( he left on Saturday and didn't make it back home until Thursday)

You still hate tummy time but we are trying to get you to roll over so it is a must:-)

You were pretty high-maintenance this month until mommy figured out the nap problem.

We love you and can't wait to see what you do next Will!

Resolutions

Resolutions for 2011:

Listen more, talk less
Exercise
Eat better
Cut down on caffeine
Keep a prayer journal
Find a church in Columbia
Make friends in Columbia
Be less homesick for NWA
Do a better job of speaking my hubby's love language
Don't sweat the small stuff

Happy 2011 everyone! What are your resolutions?